Show Me, Guide Me, Remember Me

I love the Psalms. They are beautiful and sometimes gut-wrenching expressions of human emotion. They are not pretentious. They are not fake or canned. They are honest words from people who are striving to love God while struggling to walk upright in this world. They are words that I can relate to nearly every day.

Many of the Psalms are prayers. That being the case, we can learn a lot about prayer by reading and meditating on the Psalms. And let’s be honest, many of us have a lot to learn about prayer. I know that I do. When I find myself going through the motions and mindlessly mouthing a string of insincere thoughts, I turn to the Psalms and find a guide that brings me back to a place of reflection, honesty, and worship. The Psalms is the place where human emotion and godly devotion collide.

This past week I was prompted by the Ancient Christian Devotional to read through Psalm 25:1-9. The whole Psalm is worthy of lengthy reflection. However, the first nine verses struck me in a very personal way. Psalm 25 is a prayer and confession to the Lord. It is the words of a man who knows that he relies on God for every breath that he takes. It is the words of a man who knows that he would be ruined without God. It is a confession of trust and a cry for deliverance. And then it hit me…these words are my words. It is my confession of love and trust. It is my cry for deliverance and guidance. Psalm 25:1-9 captures everything that I want to say to God on this day and every day that follows. It should be my daily prayer.

I point you toward this Psalm in the hopes that it will move you as it moved me. Let it speak to you about trust, guidance, and the grace of God. Let it speak for you as you offer up your prayers of worship and devotion to Him.

1 In you, Lord my God,
I put my trust.

2 I trust in you;
do not let me be put to shame,
nor let my enemies triumph over me.
3 No one who hopes in you
will ever be put to shame,
but shame will come on those
who are treacherous without cause.

4 Show me your ways, Lord,
teach me your paths.
5 Guide me in your truth and teach me,
for you are God my Savior,
and my hope is in you all day long.
6 Remember, Lord, your great mercy and love,
for they are from of old.
7 Do not remember the sins of my youth
and my rebellious ways;
according to your love remember me,
for you, Lord, are good.

8 Good and upright is the Lord;
therefore he instructs sinners in his ways.
9 He guides the humble in what is right
and teaches them his way.